Chewing Gum and Vitamin C Dreams

Maya's hair had been acting weird all week. Probably the new shampoo, or maybe just the stress of trying out for varsity softball. She stood in front of the mirror, poking at a particularly rebellious cowlick, when her mom popped into the doorway.

"You're going to be late, sweetie. Tryouts start in twenty."

"I know, I know." Maya grabbed her glove from the bedpost. Her dad had given it to her before he moved out. "Old reliable," he'd called it, like that was supposed to mean something.

The baseball diamond shimmered in the morning heat. Coach Miller was already there, leaning against the backstop like he'd been welded there since the dawn of time.

"Mendoza!" he barked. "You're up."

Running toward home plate, Maya's brain did that thing where it replayed her deepest insecurities on loop. What if she tripped? What if her swing looked pathetic? What if everyone laughed?

She crushed the first pitch into left field. Felt good. Felt like maybe she wasn't entirely screwing up her life.

"Nice," said Jessica, the team's star pitcher, sliding into the spot beside Maya on the bench. "You've got some power today."

"Thanks." Maya fished in her pocket and pulled out a vitamin C tablet. Her mom made her take them every morning, claiming they'd keep her from getting sick before the big tournament. "Want one? They're cherry flavored."

Jessica laughed. "You're so weird." But she took it anyway.

That night, Maya lay in bed staring at her ceiling, replaying the day. Her phone buzzed. Jessica.

"You up?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I was just thinking about tryouts," Jessica said. "You were good today. Really good."

"Thanks."

"No, seriously. You're way better than you think you are." A pause. "My older brother says he saw a bear behind the school yesterday. Near the woods."

Maya sat up. "What? For real?"

"Yeah. He was probably exaggerating, but still. Kinda cool, right? There's literally a bear roaming around and we're all just going to school like normal."

"That's terrifying, actually."

"That's what I said! But he was all, 'Nature finds a way,' like some nerdy Jurassic Park reference."

They talked for another hour. About everything. About Jessica's parents fighting, about Maya's dad leaving, about how sometimes you just want to running away from everything and live in the woods like a bear. Just eating berries and minding your business.

The next morning, Maya's hair still looked weird. But she put her glove in her backpack, pocketed her vitamin, and walked to school anyway. Some things you can't fix. Some things you just have to live with. And some things—like friendship, and finding your own strength—those sneak up on you when you're not looking for them.